Leigh Cross - Her BFS Story and Tips for Students

Leigh. We all love Leigh. But do you really know her. In this article explore how Leigh became the beloved teacher she is today, some of her top notch opinions and even some humorous tips.

In her 3rd year at BFS she shares with us that her favorite thing about teaching is definitely the relationships. The feeling that she’s helped someone learn and grow and can watch confidence build in a student makes the job entirely worth it! But how did she become the person and teacher that she is today? She explains that, as a child, she was the exact same as she is now: “outspoken, opinionated, passionate and someone who loves learning”. However, she also confides that she was a little lazy and the type of person to find the easy way out, planning which teachers would let her get an easy A and which teachers she had to give her all to impress. This therefore led her to wanting to be the type of teacher to not let students get away with things and create a room and environment where you would be held accountable for the best student you could be. 

However, her longing to be a teacher once wavered; she shares that she questioned whether or not teaching was what she wanted, but the BFS class of 2025 restored her faith in the profession. She remarks that the best day of work she has ever had was her last English class with her 10th graders, a special group of people to her, where they all shared their appreciation and love for her, her class, and the rigorous, yet loving, environment she creates. 

Wanting to delve into not just Leigh’s professional history I asked her a common, but telling, interview question: if you could have dinner with any two famous people, dead or alive, who would you choose? Her answers, Stephen King and Stevie Nicks, were thoughtfully picked. She picked King, her favorite author of all time, for his genius and his ability to build a character and story in a way similar to no other. When asked what she would ask him she says she would pick his brain for everything: his thoughts on pop culture, his top five favorite horror films or stories, book recommendations and anything else. She explains her choice of Stevie Nicks would be to hear the tail of her life in all of it’s beauty, defiance of gender norms, career and experiences.

Following this theme, I asked her what the best joke she’s ever been told is. Expecting a silly knock-knock joke, or something along those lines, I shouldn’t have been surprised that this answer, along with everything Leigh does, was filled with care and thoughtfulness. “I don’t know,” she says, “but whenever I want to laugh I go find Rami. He has the BEST dad jokes on the planet. sigh Love him.” 

In an ending to the interview, I asked her for an worldwide issue she believes should be given more attention (from individuals, donors and governments) to leave readers with. After thinking for a minute she replies that the climate crisis and Campaign Finance Report, or the attempt to take money out of elections in the US, are two underlooked social issues.

Clearly BFS’ love for Leigh is strong, so if you have not for a while go visit her and tell her how much you appreciate her and don’t forget to look into the climate crisis and Campaign Finance Report!